Bound Beneath His Pain (Dirty Little Secrets 1)

I reach for the glass of water next to my keyboard and my heart is thundering in my chest. With two gulps of water, I hastily squash the emotion threatening to break through my poker face, and contemplate quickly how to deal with this.

On one hand, I should tell Darius what happened between Allie and me. We’re close friends and we’ve taken an oath of loyalty to each other as members of the Dominants’ Council all those years ago. But thi

nking of the DC also reminds me that we keep our personal lives out of our obligations, and that’s why I never knew Darius had a half-sister. He never once spoke of her.

On the other hand, I owe loyalty to the woman I slept with last night not to tell her half-brother personal details about her life.

So, then, who do I betray?

Darius interjects before I can decide, “How long has she been working for you?”

“Not long.” I place the glass by my keyboard, shutting down personal thoughts until I can figure them out later. “This is actually the reason I called you here today. I bought Richardson last week. I thought you might be interested in giving the company a deeper look before we move ahead to see what we can do to grow it.”

“Sounds like a challenge, and you know how I love those finicky projects.” Darius settles into his seat, narrowing his eyes into focus. “I’ll get my team on it. We’ll see if there’s an untapped piece of the market that Richardson could fit into to make it stand out. Perhaps we can find a way to bring something fresh to them.” He waits for my nod of agreement and then asks, “When do you want us to start?”

“Right away, if possible.”

“I’ll send a team over there on Monday.”

“Excellent,” I reply, forcing myself to keep looking at him, and not allow my attention to drift to the other room to where it wants to go. “I have some ideas myself, but I’ll let you do your thing before I add my thoughts.”

“I’ll tell the team.” Darius rises from his seat, as do I. “Anything else?”

“No.” I follow him, moving around my desk. “I want the bigger picture before making any final decisions on the direction of the company.”

Darius nods. “Makes sense.”

We don’t need to say much more on the matter. We’ve grown several businesses together, and I know new ideas will be put forth, and we’ll have a solid budget by the time Bennett Inc. leaves Richardson. And right now that’s what I need.

A solid plan feels good, since everything else feels a little shaky.

I meet Darius at the doorway, and he offers his hand. “I know Allison is in good hands here, but keep an eye on her for me, all right?”

My face heats and tingles, my throat grows thick, as I return his handshake. “Of course.”

“I’ll be in touch.” Darius turns, giving Allie one last long look.

Even from where I stand, I see the deep-rooted love he has for Allie. I’ve never seen Darius look like this before, not in any of the years I’ve known him. I follow his gaze, finding that Allie’s shoulders remain slumped. That’s when I know there’s something worse than sleeping with Darius’s half-sister. I suspect hurting her is unforgiveable in Darius’s eyes.

And I have done both.

Micah

An hour later, I enter Allie’s office, finding her assistant scowling at me from behind her desk. I give Liv my grin that usually charms women right out of their panties. She folds her arms over her chest, her gaze flicking upward, clearly not won over. I can only take that to mean that Allie has told Liv about me and our night together.

Seeing that I’m getting nowhere with Liv, I focus on Allie, sitting behind her desk. Even though she’s not looking at me, I can see that Liv’s scowl is nothing compared to what I find on Allie’s face. Her nostrils are flaring and her lips are flat, and her hands are trembling against the papers on her desk.

This is the blessing that I need.

I can see she’s already decided she wants nothing to do with me. For her this is over, meaning I can carefully cut ties with her and clean the matter up nice and neatly. Content to let this all unfold, I turn to Liv, ignoring the daggers her gaze is throwing at me. Professionally, I would fire an employee for this type of insubordination. Personally, I realize Liv and Allie are close friends, and I respect Liv’s protectiveness of Allie. “Would you mind giving us a minute?” I ask Liv.

Her eyes turn cold, hard, and flinty while she stares me down, then she glances sideways at Allie.

Allie doesn’t look up from reading the papers on her desk. “It’s fine. Please shut the door behind you.”

Liv rises from her desk, silently flipping me off with her high chin as she leaves the office.

The second the door shuts, Allie asks, voice tight, “What can I do for you?”